Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1503864
POPULISM is a political ap- proach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups. It promises a democratic way of life that is built on the popular engagement of the population in all political activity. In practice, populism is the enemy of pluralism, and thus of modern democracy. Imposing the assumption of uniformity on the reality of diversity not only distorts the facts but also elevates the characteristics of some social groups over those of others. Remember Joseph Muscat's slo- gan: 'Malta taghna lkoll'? It im- plied that under Gonzi's PN gov- ernment, Malta belonged to an elite that disregarded the rest of the population. It rang a bell, of course, and - among other ploys - it led to Muscat's first big elec- toral victory. A new study from the Univer- sity of Cambridge suggests that worldwide, voter enthusiasm for populism has been on the wane since the beginning of the COV- ID pandemic. According to a survey of poll- ing data in 27 countries, the pop- ulist leaders, who were strong in the mid-twenties and came mainly from the right, started experiencing a steady decline in support. The study also found that the COVID pandemic led to a 'dis- turbing erosion of support for core democratic beliefs and principles, including less liberal attitudes with respect to basic civil rights and liberties'. There may be less appetite for public gatherings, but if anything, the research suggests that the pan- demic has left people more open to having the state order them around. The most recent Eurobarome- ter survey shows that optimism over Malta's 'general siuation' has decreased dramatically over recent months. Today fewer than half the population believe the country's situation is good compared to nearly three-quar- ters at the beginning of the year. The Maltese public opinion of the country's economic situation has also fallen sharply. While 75% described Malta's economic situation as either 'very' or 'rath- er' good in January, that figure is now just 56%. On the other hand, those who rate it as 'very' or 'rather' bad have shot up by 19 percentage points to 42%. According to the survey, the Maltese are now among the least likely to trust their justice sys- tem, second only to the Bulgar- ians. I don't think this is just a sim- ple case of mid-term blues. For me, it signifies a definite 'good- bye' to Muscat's populism. I believe it is the beginning of the end of the love-story be- tween Malta's middle class and Joseph Muscat's Labour. Established Labour supporters are also expressing disappoint- ment with Robert Abela's way of governing. Muscat's predeces- sor, former Labour leader Alfred Sant as well as former Labour deputy leader Joe Brincat and former Labour general secretary Jason Micallef have all registered disagreement with the current administration on particular issues. They all sense what the average Labour supporter is feel- ing and thinking. In another sit- uation, they would refrain from openly disagreeing with the La- bour leader. The PN in Opposition should let the situation continue to ir- ritate Labour supporters. They should avoid silly tiffs that do not lead to anything but provoke Labour supporters to react and rally against the PN. The recent issue about a proposed amend- ment refused by the Speaker is typical of the PN taking up unnecessary stances that only serve to put back life in Labour supporters as a reaction. In this case, I personally think the Speaker was right as one cannot propose an amendment to an amendment but only another amendment to the motion being discussed. The Opposition rarely gauges the effect of its actions on the voter that has not voted PN in the last two elections, the so- called switchers. This is another tactical mistake. With Labour's populist cry on the decline and with the average voter being more dissatisfied with the current administration as time goes on, the PN should sit back and let the rot in Labour to fester rather than provoke La- bour to defend itself by launch- ing counter-attacks. Attacks against Labour should be limited to a few issues that are immedi- ately recognised by the elector- ate such as the cost of living and the senseless increase in foreign workers from third world coun- tries. There is still a long way to go to the next general election and therefore this is a waiting game; similar to the one Muscat played when he became Labour lead- er when he played his cards very carefully and left the attacks that matter for the electoral campaign. Nothing wrong with copying successful tactics! * * * * * Painting Barcelona white According to recent figures, Eu- rope is warming faster than the global average, with annual tem- peratures increasing between 1.7 and 1.9 degrees Celsius in urban areas. Barcelona is no exception, with 2020 seeing the city's warm- est year for over two centuries - registering an average tempera- ture of 16.8 degrees Celsius. In recent years, Barcelona's council has addressed the issue of climate change by planting and managing more trees in urban ar- eas. But as the problem intensi- fies, green areas alone will not be enough to prevent the increas- ingly frequent heatwaves which threaten the city. Some experts fear that more drastic changes are needed. As the climate crisis advances, scientists from the University of Barcelona (UAB) have present- ed a dramatic proposal which could change the face of the city for good. The proposal would see the rooftops of the Catalan capi- tal painted white in an effort to reduce the devastating impact of heatwaves. This would increase the percentage of sunlight reflect- ed by the white surface and thus decrease the amount of heat ab- sorbed by the building. The terracotta balconies of Bar- celona have, for a long time, been synonymous with the most popu- lar city of Spain. But the colours in its skyline could be changing in an effort to reduce the effects of the continuously increasing hot- ter climate. Occurring more and more frequently, the city's heat island effect has increased tem- peratures by up to eight degrees Celsius in the city centre. Samuel Saintot, a software con- sultant whose flat enjoys pano- ramic views of the city says that he thinks this is an excellent idea: "I would definitely do it. And I really hope that everyone will do it. We would be saving energy such as on air conditioning, which would be a very, very good thing for global warming." 7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 JULY 2023 OPINION Populism on the decline Michael Falzon micfal45@gmail.com Joseph Muscat's slogan 'Malta taghna lkoll' led to his first big electoral victory